The Los Angeles Lakers made a number of changes ahead of this year's trade deadline, and there's no doubt that these moves could pay huge dividends for them. Getting point guard D'Angelo Russell as well as key role players such as Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt was important for the team to improve on both ends of the floor.

Though the Lakers clearly got better as a team, they did not acquire a true All-Star-level player this year. They reportedly had some interest in acquiring Bradley Beal and Damian Lillard if the stars became available, but clearly, no move came to pass.

Rob Pelinka recently explained why the Los Angeles Lakers failed to make certain trades. He compared making trades to the "LA house market", pointing out that you can't try to get "houses that aren't listed".

Rob Pelinka on the deals he didn't make: "Doing trades is a lot like the LA house market. You can’t buy houses that aren’t listed. ... The last thing you want to do in the house market is overpay or spend all of your time and energy on a house that someone doesn’t want to sell."

There is no doubt that sometimes, a team simply does not want to trade a player that the opposing team wants. In that case, it is best to turn to other targets, which the Los Angeles Lakers ended up doing.

D'Angelo Russell Was A Good Acquisition, But The Key Is His Fit With LeBron James

There is no doubt that getting D'Angelo Russell was a solid move for the Los Angeles Lakers. He is a solid floor general and scorer and is currently averaging 17.9 PPG, 3.1 RPG, and 6.2 APG while shooting 39.1% from the 3PT range.

One thing to watch about D'Angelo Russell however is the potential fit between him and LeBron James. Recently, Draymond Green called the fit between the two stars into question, noting that Russell "plays at a certain pace".

“I think the thing that I will watch in this trade is DLo’s fit next to [LeBron James]. That’s going to be a big thing because DLo plays at a certain pace. … And so just to see that fit and how that’s all going to come here I think that’s important to how this trade will be judged.”

Hopefully, though, we do see things work out between D'Angelo Russell and LeBron James. D'Angelo Russell is notably a solid off-ball player, so that bodes well for his fit with the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Los Angeles Lakers have a legitimate chance of making the playoffs this year, and hopefully, D'Angelo Russell can help them do so. They definitely have the talent to get there, and we'll see what happens in the future.

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